Loss Of Sight Is A Primary Concern For Ageing Europeans As New Expert Forum States That A Large Proportion Of Blindness Is Preventable

Date: Oct-12-2012E-FAB (European Forum Against Blindness) marks World Sight Day with a call to prevent
avoidable blindness which remains a significant problem in Europe

A new survey of over 5,000 people across five EU countries reveals a level of concern
and perceived need for better vision care services

As part of World Sight Day 2012, a survey across five EU countries reveals that
over twice as many people are most concerned about developing sight loss compared to
developing other conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory disease. In
the survey, loss of vision was revealed as the primary health concern of ageing after
memory loss. E-FAB (European Forum Against Blindness) has published the survey results to
highlight that many Europeans are still needlessly losing their sight, and more needs to
be done to diagnose vision problems earlier.

To be discussed at a Parliamentary Roundtable, jointly hosted by MEPs and a grouping
of patient and professional organisations called E-FAB (European Forum Against Blindness),
the survey showed the scale of concern about preventable blindness and vision loss among
the public. Over half (53%) of the respondents said that they are worried about vision
loss and blindness as they age, and that health systems should dedicate more resources to
preventing vision loss.

"The results from the survey confirm that many people rank vision loss and preventable
blindness as a major personal health concern and this is reasonable as we know that the
risk of blindness from retinal conditions is increasing. Almost two thirds of people in
the survey stated that late diagnosis and lack of regular eye tests are major barriers to
detection, which suggests that we still need more investment in our eye care services to
meet the challenge of preventing blindness in Europe," said Narinder Sharma, Chief
Executive Officer, AMD Alliance International.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of
Blindness (IAPB) recognise that the prevalence of eye diseases is increasing - with the
global incidence set to double between 1990 and 2020 - and have established their global
public health initiative, Vision 2020: The Right to Sight, to encourage and promote the
development of national eye care plans. However, to date, only three European nations have
adopted the Vision 2020 strategies and vision health remains neglected at the European
policy level. The WHO has previously stated that 80% of blindness globally is
preventable.[1]

"We have joined this forum to raise awareness and drive action to safe guard the sight
of Europeans and to promote greater attention to eye health, as no European should go
blind if it can be avoided. WHO's Vision 2020 states that this is a global health
priority, and we need to ensure that this also becomes a health priority in Europe," said
Professor Ian Banks, President, European Men's Health Forum (EMHF).

European Forum Against Blindness (E-FAB)

To build on the WHO Vision 2020 Strategy, E-FAB, a recent alliance of advocacy groups,
planned a Parliamentary Roundtable on the occasion of World Sight Day, to discuss with
policymakers, healthcare professionals and key stakeholders the results of this survey and
highlight the importance of making preventable blindness a public health priority. The
evening debate will provide a forum for exchange and education, and the group hopes to
reach consensus on potential policy avenues to better ensure retina diseases - such as
those caused by diabetes, for example - are diagnosed, to ensure timely intervention and
prevent blindness. Based on the outcome of the event discussions, E-FAB will develop a
Call to Action with the hope of building a solid and sustainable coalition.

E-FAB is an independent, multi-stakeholder advocacy platform, and is currently
partnered with the AMD Alliance International, the European Council of Optometry and
Optics, the European Men's Health Forum and the International Diabetes Federation European
Region (IDF Europe). The group aims to act as a platform to bring together key third
parties (patient groups, healthcare professionals, policymakers and advocacy groups)
across Europe, to jointly and collectively increase awareness of and attention to retina
diseases, and ultimately prevent vision loss through more timely diagnosis and
intervention.
Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.